Mentzer Marriages in Woodson County, Kansas

One of the joys of genealogy is rediscovering forgotten treasures tucked away in our files. Sometimes those treasures are original records. Other times they are handwritten notes created during a research trip years ago. Today’s Monday’s Diggings features one of those handwritten finds.

While sorting through my files, I came across two pages titled “Woodson County Marriages, 1860–1985 – Mentzer.” The pages contain a handwritten transcription of marriage records involving individuals with the surname Mentzer from Woodson County, Kansas.

Unlike many old notes in my collection, I do remember where this information originated. The entries were copied from the book Woodson County Marriages, 1860–1985 located in the Woodson County Clerk’s Office at the courthouse in Yates Center, Kansas. At some point during a courthouse visit, I transcribed the entries pertaining to the Mentzer surname and later filed the notes away.

Although I did not make photocopies of the original pages from the book, these handwritten notes preserve information that may otherwise have remained buried in my files. The entries identify several Mentzer family members and provide marriage dates, spouses, ages, and references to the original marriage books.

For descendants of the Mentzer family, this list offers a useful starting point for locating the original marriage records and reconstructing family relationships.

Transcription

Mentzer Marriages

First Column

• Mentzer, Charles O., 24
  Wells, Nettie A., 20
  18 Oct 1893 — E-180
• Mentzer, Clarence Albert, 27
  Graham, Grace, 23
  07 May 1913 — I-438
• Mentzer, Ernest E., 30
  Dumond, Edith M., legal
  01 June 1910 — I-125
• Mentzer, E. T., 24
  Schooling, Lorene, 22
  01 June 1938 — N-405
• Mentzer, George F., 23
  Wells, Anna M., 23
  27 March 1895 — E-315
• Mentzer, Harley W., 23
  McCormick, Winiford, 21
  09 May 1928 — L-451
• Mentzer, Henry, 28
  Litton, May, 25
  25 June 1903 — G-240
• Mentzer, Howard, 22
  Peterson, Edna, 19
  15 Feb 1932 — M-263
• Mentzer, Jerry Lee, 19
  Gregg, Linda Marie, 20
  29 July 1967 — R-81

Second Column

• Mentzer, Ledlie George, 25
  Danielson, Veota Marie, 23
  16 Apr 1924 — L-125
• Mentzer, Loren, 26
  Schaich, Etta Beth, 22
  01 Sept 1940 — O-133
• Mentzer, Merrill Burdette, 27
  Stout, Marie Hazel, 20
  07 July 1946 — O-630
• Mentzer, Norryce, 28
  Cook, Alberta Mae, 18
  15 Jan 1950 — P-306
• Mentzer, Paul E., 25
  Saferite, Ada E., 26
  25 Aug 1921 — K-319
• Mentzer, Phillip E., 28
  Schoepflin, Anna M., 26
  25 Oct 1905 — H-85
• Tolle, Wendell, 23
  Mentzer, Aleta Doris, 24
  22 Nov 1933 — M-416
• Beine, Emil F., 28
  Mentzer, Cecil M., 25
  06 Apr 1923 — L-21

Additional Mentzer Marriages

First Column

• Williams, John W., 24
  Mentzer, Clara E., 20
  02 Apr 1903 — G-220
• Van Valkenburg, John L., 24
  Mentzer, Mildred, 22
  7 Apr 1929 — M-48
• Herold, Edward R., 32
  Mentzer, Hazel A., 26
  30 Nov 1922 — K-427
• Wiede, Paul, 23
  Mentzer, Marjorie, 25
  08 May 1925 — L-216

Second Column

• Van Valkenburg, Ralph Leon, 30
  Mentzer, Fletha Frances, 23
  19 May 1937 — N-292
• Laymon, Richard Lee, 20
  Mentzer, Ruth Ann, 20
  03 May 1953 — Q-14

Why I’m Preserving These Notes

Research notes such as these may not be as exciting as an original marriage license, but they can still be valuable. The ages help distinguish between individuals of the same name, while the marriage dates help establish family timelines. The book and page references provide clues for locating the original records.

These pages also serve as a reminder that courthouse research can produce information that remains useful decades later. A few handwritten pages copied from a marriage index at the Woodson County Courthouse have preserved a snapshot of the Mentzer family’s history that I can now share with other researchers.

As I continue to work through old files, I am reminded that not every discovery is a newly found record. Sometimes the treasure is simply rediscovering research I completed years ago and making it available to a new generation of family historians.

Have you uncovered old courthouse notes in your files that still provide valuable clues today?